Putting ourselves “out there” is hard. Harder still is knowing whether or not we’re really connecting with our audience. With Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and a dozen other ways to communicate, the possibilities are endless. We can share through a variety of mediums that best suit our personalities, time allowance, and interests. For authors, an effective way to connect is through a blog. A website’s great for informational …
Who doesn’t like to be…well… liked? I think if we’re honest, most of us derive satisfaction from knowing others find us “worthy.” It strokes our self-esteem and gives our egos a boost. There might be some folks who claim they don’t care one way or another if they’re liked, and maybe they don’t. (But I would imagine they really do!) I’m not sure …
Where I live, it’s not unusual for farm animals to occasionally wander off from where they’re supposed to be. Cows, goats, horses, and chickens have all made an appearance along the little lanes in our neck of the woods. Once when our daughter was about three, she called, “Mommy, come see the big birds in our back yard!” Of course, I thought …
I think all little girls grow up with preconceived notions of what romance should be. We form those beliefs based on how we see our mothers and fathers interact, television and movies (skewed as they may be), and the world around us. Since I grew up in a very affectionate household, it wasn’t unusual to see my mama and daddy openly …
One sure-fire way to strike a nerve with writers is to diss what they do. Intentional or unintentional, it rattles the doors of debate within the writing world. Some folks try to temper their stance with awkward pleasantries while others are embarrassingly rude about their opinion. I think what’s disturbing is the fact that so much of their logic is based on …
For writers, there’s nothing worse than those “off days.” The ones that Wally Writer and Annie Author rarely talk about because their writing is just too picture-perfect. Everything they create is a masterpiece. Every word they write is beautiful and filled with deep, profound meaning. They don’t often admit mistakes, because…well…they just don’t make any! And of course, Wally Writer and …
Most of us like being around positive people. Happy, upbeat, good-humored folks make us feel good. Rarely, have I heard anyone say, “Gee, I wish Pleasant Polly would pack up her bag of cheer and go home.” More often than not, we gravitate toward those who are cheerful. They inspire and encourage. We’re drawn into their beautiful world of “I …
Do you ever experience a circumstance that sometimes causes you to scratch your head? Situations like those seem to happen to me a lot. In fact, I had one last week when I pulled into a service station for gas. As usual, the big box store nearby was fairly busy. Thankfully, I’d managed to time my gas fill-up before the crowd migrated over. Great. …
I’ve always told my husband, “I want to retire on the beach.” There’s just something about the sound of the incoming tide and living on island time that holds great appeal. Fewer tornadoes, no sudden temperature drops, and sunshine aplenty even in winter sound pretty sweet, too. Yep, I could definitely go for life on the water. I wonder, though, …
As a little girl, I was afraid of the dark. It’s still not one of my favorite things, but over the years, I’ve learned to compensate. (Aren’t nightlights wonderful?) I was thinking about “the dark” again recently and how fear, tension, and negativity affect our mindset and self-esteem. People who live in the dark often do so willingly. They choose fear over …
